Drizly to Become the Amazon of Spirits?

ByHoma Zaryouni ·

17 March 2014

E-commerce and delivery have not been Spirits brands’ strong suits. Startup Drizly, featured as a Flash of Genius in our Digital IQ Index: Spirits, is filling that void with an app that delivers beer, wine, and liquor in Boston and New York within 60 minutes. The app is similar to a Seamless or Taskrabbit; it doesn’t have inventory and picks up from local liquor stores. Drizly is able to bypass cumbersome liquor distribution laws by not taking a cut from sales, and its ID-checking technology and robust tracking systems prevent distribution to minors.

Brand owners such as Pernod Ricard have already embraced advertising on the app. Three of the conglomerate’s brands Jameson, The Glenlivet and Malibu have banner ads on Drizly with pricing, size, and link for immediate addition to cart.

Drizly has expressed interest in becoming the Amazon.com for Spirits brands, and it could well be on its way. Its delivery timeframe surpasses Amazon’s next-day service. It received $2.25 million in venture capital from Atlas Ventures in January and plans to expand beyond Boston and New York. Meanwhile, Amazon has yet to sell alcoholic beverages other than wine even though it revealed plans to do so.